DEI requires the same measurement rigour as any other business driver

4 August 2020 | Rebekah Steele and Alison Maitland

Originally published on LinkedIn

Robust measures are needed if organizations are to follow through on pledges to create opportunities with Black and other marginalized people.

Many corporate commitments involve diversity representation goals in hiring and development, leadership, suppliers and community investments. Some add DEI dialogues and training. But few involve comprehensive #measurement.

In #INdivisiblebook, Alison Maitland and I challenge the limits of common DEI metrics and offer evidence, cases and novel scorecards with measures for real impact.

Are you measuring:

  • Employees’ feelings of belonging, but leaving out behaviours, actions and structures that impact #inclusion? Do your measures yield a clear picture of how inclusive your organization is, what progress you are making and which efforts are really effective?

  • #Diversity in teams, customers, investors and suppliers? Do your metrics take intersecting identities into account?

  • DEI #impact on individual performance, wellbeing and careers?On #leadership effectiveness? On team decisions and #innovation? On bottom line results and #sustainability?

DEI is a moral and business imperative. It requires the same measurement rigour as any other business driver.

Rebekah Steele